DavidB

I have 5 Duckett rods, but not one of their crankbait rods. I really like the ones that I have. Has anyone tried one of their rods with a parabolic action—either the 7’ M or the 7’6” MH?

Thanks to all. Good information! We’re really looking forward to chasing smallmouth when we come. It’s a rare opportunity that we enjoy once each year. Coming on the 21st, looks like we MAY be arriving at the right time.

Is there a tackle store in the Branson area that you would recommend?

😎. Love the back doctor suggestion, and if I throw a DD 22 very long, I might need one! Will probably be throwing a Deep Little N, a 5X and Bomber 6 and 7 As at Table Rock, but I’m hoping to find a good rod that will also handle the DD 22and 6 X this summer, on Toledo Bend. Strictly “spot duty” or I’ll have to look up that back doctor!

Thanks for the suggestion. I have a couple of older Falcon Lowriders, and they’re really good rods, if a little heavy. I’ll be at Table Rock the week of the 21st, and am hoping the Branson BPS will have something in stock. The ones I’ve visited rarely have a selection of Falcons in stock. Any other suggestions will be much appreciated!

I’m looking for a crankbait rod to throw baits up to a DD 22 or a 6 X. Preferably $150.00 or less. Recommendations?

Great report, Bill! I'm even more excited about our trip the last week of April. Our group of Louisiana anglers is even larger this year, and we're hoping for good weather and stable water levels. We've been coming for a week in April for over 35 years, and the fishing has steadily improved, for us. We caught mostly largemouth and spots, for several years, and were always impressed that the spots looked like footballs. Really healthy! The last few years, it seems that we catch mostly smallmouth, which is a real treat for us, since there are no true smallmouth in Louisiana. Thanks to all of you who contribute to this forum. It's by far the best that I follow, and I enjoy it throughout the year. Wish I could come more often. Table Rock is special!

We began fishing Table Rock in 1982; and unfortunately, for only one week a year. The first few years, we tried to power fish like we did on Toledo Bend. It was feast or famine, some great and some really frustrating. Our first trip, I boated a 7 lber for my buddy, caught on a spinnerbait near the mouth of Brushy Creek. Another buddy, in a separate boat, caught a 4 3/4 lb spot on a jig--prettiest bass I've ever seen. A couple of years later, I caught a 7 lber on an old Rebel Super R (red), in Clevenger. My buddy caught a 6 lber the next day, dropping a spinnerbait down a point at the mouth of Brushy. We caught several others, prior to '99, including a 6 1/2 on a Bomber Long A, in the back of Clevenger; but the last several years, we've seen the light from Bill, Dave and others, and have switched to more finesse fishing, and have really enjoyed it. Much better numbers, and much more consistent, if less size. Table Rock is such a beautiful lake, and catching smallmouth is a real trip that we can't duplicate in Louisiana. We envy those of you who experience The Rock year round!

Best wishes, Bill, from a follower in Louisiana. We spend a week on Table Rock each year in April, and have followed the forum, and your posts particularly, for several years. You've made our trips much more enjoyable, by sharing your success. I know you'll be watching when your Tigers invade Death Valley on October 1st. Wish you could be there to tailgate with us, and enjoy a little Jambalaya, Etouffe, and other Lousiana delights. We'll be sure to bring you another Cajun basket, when we come next April. Get well soon!

If you come to Toledo Bend, you might consider the period leading up to the full moon in March. The Hausen Bay/Six Mile areas produce a lot of the double digit fish. Each one is a huge creek system, and they are close together. You can stay in either one or both for your entire trip, and never run out of places to fish. Beyond that, they offer protection from high winds. You don't want to be on the main lake when it's really blowing. Nothing on Table Rock compares.

Thanks, guys, for the nice replies. I left out our two top anglers for this year's trip, and realized it after my initial post. Attached are two of their better fish. Almost all of theirs came on The Ned. Thanks Dave!!!

We made our 34th annual trip to Table Rock last week, and fished Long Creek to the dam. A special thanks to all of you who post on this forum, as we follow it through the year in eager anticipation of our next trip. Happy Hollow is our second home, and Ed and Linda always make us feel welcome and special. The fishing was great all week. Most of our fish were on The Ned, Zoom Speed Craws, and a Zoom Finesse shaky head. It's a treat, each year, to catch smallmouth, which seem to be far more plentiful than in earlier years. Our group also caught four walleye, this year, two keepers and two just under. The Rock is such a great fishery, and offers us opportunities that we don't have on our home lake of Toledo Bend, another great fishery. We caught a lot of fish, and probably 80% were smallmouth. We look forward to our 35th annual trip, next year, knowing that those of you who post so regularly will share the "secrets" that we'll put into play when we return.

We wrapped up our trip yesterday, and had another great week on Table Rock. We caught a lot of fish, and more smallmouth than ever. We caught fish from the bank to 25 ft., and our most consistent action was on The Ned. Thank you, Dave! It's always a kick for us to catch smallmouth on light tackle. We were amazed at how many of our fish hit The Ned on the fall. We look forward to becoming even more experienced with The Varmint next year! Thanks again for the information so many of you provide, through the year. We follow along regularly, and your contributions always make our trip better!

We're fishing Long Creek from the Arkansas line to North of the dam, as far as Point 5. We're staying at Happy Hollow>

It's great to be back on beautiful Table Rock. 9 of us arrived from Louisiana yesterday, for our annual trip. We really appreciate this forum, and all of the information that so many of you provide. I really believe that this is the best forum of its kind, and a big thank you to Bill. All of us had a really good day today. My partner and I caught 25+, and had 15 keepers, 13 of which were smallmouth. All on either a Carolina rigged speed craw, or The Ned. Another thanks to Dave for furnishing us with Ned Heads. We don't fish that style much on Toledo Bend, and it was really a kick to catch smallmouth on light tackle, on The Ned. Most of our fish on gravel or light rock, 8-12 feet deep, although some were caught "on the bank." All of our guys (4 boats) had good luck, and we look forward to the rest of the week. Table Rock is really special!!!

Great reports on the forum, the last few days. We're leaving Saturday, and will be fishing all of next week. I'm hoping we're hitting The Rock at the right time!

Thanks. Good information, especially the "lots of brown fish."

We'll be at Table Rock the last week of April, first of May, and have always fished the Long Creek area, to Point 5 on the White. If we were to trailer to a different part of the lake for a day or two, what area would you recommend, and where would you launch?

What a helpful report! Thanks, Bill. I look forward to using the Varmint and the Wobblehead when we make our annual trek from Louisiana the last week of April.

Added thanks to Dave, for a quick response on my order of "Ned heads". We're headed to Table Rock on April 25th, and will spend the week fishing from the MO/AR line in Long Creek, to about Point 5 on the White. Our home lake is Toledo Bend, but we've been making the trip to Table Rock since 1982. You can imagine that our fishing styles are a little different on Toledo, but we always look forward to the challenge of fishing the beautiful, clear water on the Rock. I plan to read up on "The Ned" between now and then, and maybe get just a little more guidance from Dave. This forum is absolutely the best, and a big thank you to Bill, as moderator, and to the many other contributors, for making it a pleasure to read during the year, when we're dreaming about our next trip to the Rock.

A group of us have come for a week, at the end of April, for over 30 years (hope you enjoyed the "Cajun Basket", Bill). We fish from Long Creek to Point 5, and always enjoy the change from Toledo Bend--the beauty of the lake, the differences in depth, structure and cover, and the opportunity to catch smallmouth and "pig" Kentuckies. We've always marveled at how much thicker across the backs, and how much deeper bodied the Kentuckies are on Table Rock compared to those we catch at home. We've missed catching them, the last few years, and have talked about it among ourselves. We just assumed it was because we've branched out, more and more, and have been catching more smallmouth (not a bad trade). Reading these threads makes me wonder if Bill's not correct . . .

Does anyone have experience with the BPS Carbonlite rods? I bought a couple for use with spinnerbaits and topwater, but haven't used them enough yet to test their durability. I'm interested in the 6'9" MH for TX rigs and jigs, but would like to hear someone else's experience before changing out my older, heavier Shimanos.

Just saw the new weather forecast for next week--liked the old one better. What patterns, types of locations should we look for now? We primarily fish from Brushy Creek to Point 5. Thanks for your help. This is a great forum!

Last year we had a lot of luck on runouts off main lake points and gravel flats, fishing a Carolina rig with a Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craw and a football jig with a twin tail grub. Is it too early for that pattern? Is anyone fishing a weightless or lightly weighted Zoom Super Fluke in the areas where you're fishing stick baits? Any luck with that?

Several of us are coming for a fishing trip on Monday, the 1st, and will be fishing all week. We've been following the weather (B-r-r-r), and are encouraged that a slow warming trend seems to be coming. We'll be in Long Creek, primarily. We're not A-rig fishermen. What other patterns should we expect (hope) to be productive?